


Touch of the Spring Flowers

by punk_rock_yuppie



Series: Sugar and Derry [2]
Category: IT (2017)
Genre: AU, Fake Relationship, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Multi, coffee shop AU, valentine's day fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: Eddie is single. Mike is single. They're both employees of Sugar and Derry, a local coffeeshop.Eddie has a plan to get them both out of working on Valentine's Day.





	Touch of the Spring Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> on to part two--eddie and mike!

_Thursday, February 8th_

“Don’t wait up!” He shouts as he shuts the door.

Eddie waits till he’s outside before pulling his phone from his pocket. Looking warily over his shoulder, he starts off toward the stairs. He takes them two at a time as he pulls up his messages, and opens the barren thread he has going with their coworker, Mike.

**> >To Mike  
 _hey, did you hear?_**

The response is almost immediate.

**< <From Mike  
 _About the valentines thing? yeah_**

Eddie hits the pavement and hurries along the sidewalk. He doesn’t really know where he’s going, exactly. He left his keys behind so driving anywhere is out, and it’s not like he needs anything from the store. He looks down at his phone in his hands and figures, if nothing else, the last thing he needs is Richie looming over his shoulder.

**> >To Mike  
** **_i had an idea_ **

**< <From Mike  
 _An idea?_**

**> >To Mike  
 _like, to get out of working_**

**< <From Mike  
 _Okay…_**

**> >To Mike  
 _can we meet up?_**

**< <From Mike  
 _Sure. I can come pick you up?_**

**> >To Mike  
 _get me from the 7/11 down the street_**

Eddie tucks his phone back into his pocket after Mike agrees, then picks up his pace. Mike has given them all a ride or two before, so he knows where they live—but again, the last thing Eddie needs is Mike showing up at their apartment. Not that he thinks Richie is smart enough to figure out what Eddie is up to, but Stan might be, and he’d tell Richie and—

Eddie shakes his head and makes a beeline for the curb beside the gas station. He stands a few feet away from the RedBox as he waits, studiously avoiding eye contact by dicking around on his phone. He’s just starting to get antsy when a faint honk catches his attention. He looks up from his phone (the screen had gone dark anyway) and his gaze zeros in the on familiar green pick up truck across the parking lot.

He sprints over the pavement until he comes around to the passenger side door, just as it opens. Mike, leaning across the seat, grins. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eddie replies, a little breathless. He clambers into the truck and waves off Mike’s helping hand. Eventually he settles, buckles, and then they both sit. “Er, sorry. Maybe we could go to lunch? It can be my treat?” He really didn’t think this through, and the panic was starting to set in.

Mike shrugs and turns the key in the ignition. “Works for me. Where did you want to go?”

 

 

Mike ends up paying, which Eddie doesn’t mind even though it makes him a little pink in the face. They take their trays to a booth and sit across from each other, and idly eat until Mike clears his throat. He grins a little hesitantly at Eddie, but there’s encouragement in the expression too.

“You had an idea?” Mike says.

“Yeah,” Eddie says. He looks down at his sandwich and bites his lip. “Uh, well. I mean. This is gonna sound crazy.”

Mike laughs softly. “I don’t mind crazy.”

Eddie feels a little better at that. “I was just thinking, it’s not like the manager is gonna vet our dates or anything, so what if we just… pretended to date?”

Mike blinks back at him curiously. “Like, go out and find someone and say, ‘hey, be my date for a day so I don’t have to work?’” He’s still smiling as he says it.

Eddie’s blush worsens. “I meant more like… what if you and I… pretended to date.”

Mike doesn’t blanch, not quite; his grin drops open to a look of surprise and his eyebrows rise quickly. “Oh.” He says.

“Yeah,” Eddie says again. “Oh.” He drops his gaze from Mike to look at his sandwich once more. Then he looks at his soda, reaches for it, then decides he doesn’t want a sip.

“I mean, do you think it would work? They’ll know we haven’t been dating long.”

“I figured we just plant the seeds now, and then say we can’t work Valentine’s because of a date.”

Mike nods along. “Besides, what’re they gonna do? Say we’re lying? They won’t have proof.”

Eddie chuckles, a little stunted. “Exactly.” He sits back and toys with the hem of his polo shirt. “I totally get it if you don’t want to, like I said, it’s crazy but—?”

“Let’s do it.” Mike says. His tone is firm and kind and cuts across Eddie’s bubbling rant. “What do we have to lose, anyway?” His easy acceptance with the plan soothes Eddie’s nerves, until he opens his mouth again. “Why did you pick me, though? Why not Bill, or Stan, or even Richie?”

Eddie over exaggerates his shudder at Richie’s name, and it makes Mike snort. “We’ve all been friends so long, it would just be weird. And way too obvious, I think. Besides, you’re.” Eddie stops and swallows, his mouth suddenly dry. “You’re way cuter than any of them, anyway.”

Mike’s cheeks pink faintly and he ducks his head.

 

 

 

_Sunday, February 11th_

It’s not that Eddie’s avoiding his roommates, it’s just…

Okay, he’s _totally_ avoiding his roommates. Not that it’s hard to do—Richie and Stan almost always work closing shifts, whereas Eddie snags mostly opening shifts. The most he’s seen of either of them is their car in the parking lot outside, usually as Eddie is sliding into his Buick and speeding off before either can corner him.

It’s only been three days, but if feels like three years. Eddie runs his clammy hands over his jeans before peering outside. There’s no sign of his roommates, which makes sense since neither of them work today. He’s still scoping out the parking lot, just to be _absolutely_ sure, when a hand on his shoulder startles a yelp out of him.

“Woah,” Mike says, soft and good-natured. “Just me. Y’know, your boyfriend.”

Eddie wills away his blush and grins. “Sorry, just a little on edge.”

Mike raises a curious eyebrow as he reaches around Eddie to push open the door. “Tell me about it over a late lunch?”

Eddie slips outside first with Mike close at his heels. “Yeah, okay.” He follows Mike to the pickup truck. “It’s just,” he pauses as Mike opens the passenger door for him. His blush worsens as he clambers in, and he doesn’t look at Mike as the door slams shut. He waits until Mike is in the driver’s seat before continuing.

“It’s just, I haven’t told Richie or Stan about the whole, _us_ thing. Because Richie won’t stop complaining about working on Wednesday and Stan will probably think it’s stupid.”

Mike’s lips twist into a wryly amused grin as he pulls out of the parking lot and toward the main boulevard. “Well, he shouldn’t think it’s stupid. It worked.”

Eddie freezes and looks away from the window. “What?”

“I talked to the manager this morning, said you and I were gonna have our first real big date on Wednesday, and if we could take it off. He said sure.” Mike shrugs, then flicks the turn signal to take a left. “I’m picking up an extra shift next Saturday instead, and he said you could talk to him if you wanted to pick up the hours on a different day, too.”

Eddie stares at Mike. “What?” He asks again, voice tinged with a touch of hysteric disbelief. Mike’s cheeks look warm and his grin is sheepish. “It _worked_?”

Mike laughs and nods as he takes a right onto the road that will take them to Eddie’s favorite Indian restaurant. He’d mentioned it on Thursday, before, and his heart beats a little fast as they get closer. “Yeah, it worked,” Mike replies.

“Wow.” Eddie finally tears his eyes away from Mike to look out the window again. “Guess we have a date, then.”

“Guess so.” Mike swiftly pulls into the lot and parks the car. It’s quiet and a little tense as he gets out of the car and Eddie follows. Neither of them speak as they walk into the restaurant—slow for the late afternoon on a Sunday—not even as they’re seated. It isn’t until they’ve placed their lunch orders that Mike clears his throat.

“Mike?”

“I’ll pick you up from your place, if that’s cool?”

Eddie stares blankly at him until it clicks. “On Wednesday?”

“Yeah.” Mike looks away. “I, uh. I already made plans. For us.”

Eddie blinks owlishly. “Sure, okay. Wednesday. What time?”

“Be ready by five? And dress nice. Not that you don’t always but—a little nicer.”

Eddie resists the urge to rub at his burning cheeks. “Alright.” He nod and hides his grin in a sip of water.

 

 

 

_Monday, February 12th_

Eddie calls Richie the next morning, on his first break.

_“What do you mean you don’t work Wednesday?”_

“Look, Richie, you would’ve seen it today when you came in, anyway. Mike and I are dating, and we wanted to do something special, and—?”

_“What do you_ mean _you and Mike are dating?!”_

“We’re dating, Richie. We have been.” Eddie hesitates. “For a while,” he adds quickly. “We just haven’t told anyone, because it was new and,” he falters, and Richie takes the chance to cut in.

_“You and Mike_ aren’t _dating, Eddie!”_

Eddie inhales sharply to reply, but Richie keeps going.

_“No, no, you can’t keep a secret worth_ shit _, there’s no way you’ve been_ hiding _this.”_ He pauses to breathe, and Eddie starts.

“We are dating, Richie,” he insists, tone quickly turning sour. “Whether you like it or not, or believe it or not, it’s happening.”

Richie huffs a quiet laugh. _“God, Eds, you’re so full of shit. I fucking hate you.”_ The words are sharp but fond, without any real heat. Richie hangs up on him then without a goodbye, and Eddie sits back. He checks the time, grateful to still have a couple minutes left in his break. Richie will probably tell Stan, which will make it even more real.

Eddie’s heart skips a beat and he bites his lower lip on a grin.

 

 

 

_Wednesday, February 14th_

The morning of Valentine’s Day, Stan finds Eddie in the kitchen.

Eddie freezes in the middle of the kitchen while Stan looks on, typically unimpressed. Or maybe he’s just tired; Eddie looks at the clock on the microwave and decides Stan is probably just tired.

“Have you been hiding from Richie?” Stan asks. Eddie flushes guiltily. He’s managed his streak of avoiding the both of them, and it’s been two full days since they actually caught sight of him at all. “He won’t actually kill you, you know.”

“I know,” Eddie retorts. “I just—I have actually been spending time with Mike.” It feels like a weight coming off his chest. It’s not a lot of time, just a meal here or there. But they have been texting more, and Eddie has learned more about Mike in the past few days than he has in nearly a year of working with the guy.

Stan sounds surprised as he makes his way over to the Keurig. “That’s good. So are you two actually dating?”

After a little more taunting from Stan, Eddie launches into the rambling without thinking about it. He spills everything he knows about Mike, and can’t bring himself to dial back the excitement in his voice. Stan watches him all the while, sipping his coffee and hardly blinking like the weirdo he is.

At one point, Eddie starts to unload the dishwasher just for something to do. He ends up stuck on a bowl as he confesses to Stan—

“He’s really great.”

“I’m happy for you.” Stan goes around him to sit at the dining table.

“What if he doesn’t really want to date me?” The plans for later this evening sound promising, and make Eddie feel deliriously giddy. But he can’t help but wonder—what if it all goes wrong? What if Mike decides, after this, that Eddie isn’t actually what he wants? It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but just the thought has Eddie’s gut churning.

“He does,” Stan says, like it’s so simple. “Would you fake-date someone you weren’t at least a _little_ interested in?”

Eddie considers it, and feels a little better. His first thought is to thank Stan—rational Stan, level-headed Stan. Until another thought dawns on him, and he just can’t resist. “Bill told me that Richie told him that you said you and Richie should’ve tried it, the fake-dating thing.”

“I did.”

“So, you’re saying you’re at least a _little_ bit interested in Richie?”

Stan scowls into his coffee, and the last of Eddie’s anxiety dissipates in smoke, pushed away by his laughter.

 

 

Eddie straightens his tie one last time, just as a honk sounds from outside. He slams his bedroom door behind him and hurries toward the door. He checks himself over for keys, wallet, gum, keys one more time, then steps outside. He takes the steps two at a time again, and when he hits the pavement, Mike’s pick up truck is waiting by the curb.

Mike grins from the driver’s seat and motions Eddie over. Eddie climbs into the passenger side, something that’s becoming more and more familiar to him.

“Where are we going?” He asks once he’s buckled.

“It’s a surprise.” Mike replies, pulling away from the curb.

Eddie pouts, but it only makes Mike laugh. “Fine, don’t tell me.” Eddie can’t even put any teasing petulance into his tone. He’s excited, and Mike looks good, and it feels far too real to be a farce, in any way. He waits until Mike gets them onto the freeway, then reaches out to link his hand with Mike’s where it rests on the seat between them.

“I’m glad you had your crazy idea,” Mike says after a while. He only takes his hand back when he needs to signal to change lanes.

“Me too,” Eddie agrees. He leaves his hand on the seat so that Mike can link their fingers again whenever his hand is free. “Where are we going?”

Mike shakes his head fondly, “still not telling.”

It doesn’t take them long to get there anyway. He takes an exit off the freeway not long after that, and Eddie’s attention is drawn to the window. He’s been in the downtown area before, just not often, and he’s never really bothered to look around. Where the main part of town is busy and boring, nothing interesting, the downtown area feels like a different world. It’s full of independent businesses, and the co-op Bill is so fond of stands out on one corner.

Mike drives the twisty, winding roads until he parks behind a large building. “I think you’ll like this place.” Mike gets out first and is around the truck in no time. He pulls the door open for Eddie, who laughs as he climbs out. “And if you don’t, we’ll hit somewhere else up on the way home.”

Eddie shrugs, an agreement and an admission—he doesn't really care about the food. He grins at Mike. “At least the company will be good, either way.”

Mike’s cheeks pink even in the early evening light, and he ducks his head. They make it to the curb and Eddie looks up at the tall building, noting that it almost looks like a silo.

“You like Italian food, right?”

Eddie nods absently, but doesn’t move when Mike gently tugs him toward the door. He pulls Mike closer instead and goes up on his tiptoes to brush a kiss over the corner of Mike’s mouth. “Otherwise I’d be wanting to do that all during dinner. It’d be very distracting,” he explains as he pulls back.

Mike smiles back and leans down to kiss him again. “I think it’ll be distracting anyway.”

Eddie laughs into the kiss.


End file.
